Hinge structure



Jan. 8, 1963 E. STOLIGROSZ 'ETAL 3,072,117

HINGE s'mucwuas Filed Aug. 5, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jam 1963 E.STOLIGROSZ ETAL 3,072,117

HINGE STRUCTURE Filed Aug. 5. 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wm l l l l l h' l h3,072,117 HINGE STRUCTURE Eugene Stoligrosz, Hamilton, Ohio, Leonard M.Stanulis,

Benton Harbor, Mich, and Lawrence C. Lotz, Hamilton, Ohio, assignors toWhirlpool Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 5, 1960,Ser. No. 47,868 6 Claims. (Cl. 126-191) This invention relates to ahinge structure for mounting a door on a base member.

One of the features of this invention is to provide a hinge structurefor a door such as an oven door for a stove in which the door is lockedin position but including means for the ready release of the hingestructure so that the door including the hinge structure may be easilyremoved.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a hinge structure for adoor such as an oven door or the like which permits retaining the doorin partially open position when such is desired.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description of one embodiment thereof taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings. Of the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an oven including a doorand hinge structure embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional elevational view takensubstantially along line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view somewhat similar to FIGURE 2 takensubstantially along line 3--3 of FIG- URE 4 and showing the door inpartially open position.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially along line4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional elevational view taken subtantially along line5-5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional elevational view similar to FIGURES 2 and 3 butshowing the door locked in fully open position and with the door andhinge structure partially removed from the stove.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevational view of a locking pin that may be used tolock the door in fully open position.

In the illustrated embodiment there is provided a stove or cooking range.11) having an oven 11 with the stove being provided with a door 12.Mounted within the shell 13 of the stove adjacent the bottom of the sidewalls of the oven 11 are a pair of mounting members 14 in the form ofside brackets. Each side bracket includes a base 15 attached to theshell 13 as by means of rivets 16 and a pair of parallel end flanges 17on the ends of the base 15. Also forming a part of the base 15 is ahorizontal extending inverted U-shaped bracket 18. This bracket 18 islocated above the upper extremities of the end flanges 17. The mountingmember 14 is preferably made of sheet metal with the flanges 17 and thebracket 13 struck therefrom. As is shown in FIGURE 5, the bracket 18 hasthe front 19 of arcuate shape so that the internal channel 20 is flaredoutwardly at its opposite ends and narrowed in the center. Each flange17 has an upturned end 21 and a relatively narrow body portion 22between this end 21 and the base 15.

The door 12 has a hollow interior 23 and extending across the hollowinterior adjacent the bottom of the door is a hexagonal rod 24. This rodis non-rotatably mounted within the door and is provided with a coilspring 25 having one end attached to the rod as indicated at 26 and theopposite end 27 extending upwardly from the rod 24 and bearing againstthe inner surface 28 of the door to urge the door toward closed positionas shown in FIGURE 2. The door is provided with a pair of these StatesPatent ice springs on opposite ends of the rod 24. Engaging oppositeends of the rod 24 outwardly of the springs 25 are the forward ends 29of a pair of hinge plates 30. Because both hinge plates are identicalonly one is illustrated in detail.

Each hinge plate 30 extends through an opening 31 in the front of theshell 13 of the stove. The portion of the hinge plate 30 within theshell 13 is provided with a locking portion 32 adapted to be locatedwithin the bracket 18. The extreme rear end of this locking portion 32is provided with an upwardly extending first projection 33 or spuradapted to engage the rear edge of the bracket 18 when the hinge plateis located in position. The bottom of the locking portion 32 is providedwith a downwardly and rearwardly extending second projection 34 adaptedto be hooked under the forward fllange 17. With this arrangement thefirst projection 33 prevents the hinge plate which is preferably ofsheet metal being withdrawn outwardly through the opening '31 while thesecond projection 34 being hooked under the front flange 17 prevents thedoor spring 25 causing upward shifting of the hinge plate 31). Withoutthe second projection 34 this would occur when the springs were holdingthe door against the stove 10.

The forward end 29 of each hinge plate 31 extends through an opening 35in the inner surface plate 28 of the door. This forward end is providedwith a path section 36 on its upper forward edge with this path sectionbeing generally convex and connecting an upper flat edge 37 that isgenerally horizontal and a generally vertical flat edge 38. In this pathsection 36 there is pro vided a stop portion 39 in the form of a notch.

Movably mounted in a vertical slot 40 in an inner panel 41 on each sideof the door adjacent each hinge plate 39 is a movable member 42 in theform of a locking pin. This pin is provided with an inner end portion 43engaging the path section 36, a narrow shank portion 44 held in the slot40, a collar 4-5 located outwardly of this slot and an end portion 4-6.Attached to this end portion is one end of a helical spring 47 with theother end being attached to a tab 48 adjacent but rearwardly of the rod24 in order that the spring 47 will hold the pin 42 against the pathsection 36.

In order to lock the door 12. in fully open position, as shown in FIGURE6, there is provided a pin receiving notch 49 in the vertical forwardend 38 of the forward end 29 of each hinge plate. This notch 49 isforwardly of the path section 36 of the hinge plate 3t When the door 12has been turned about the rod 24 to fully open position, as shown inFIGURE 6, the notch 49 is exposed exteriorly of the door. It is thenonly necessary to position a pin 50 which may be of the type shown inFIGURE 7 within the notch 49. The springs 25 which tend to rotate thedoor toward closed position will then hold the door tightly against thepins 5i so that the effects of the springs 25 are nullified.

When the hinge plates are in their normally locked positions, as shownin FIGURES l-5 inclusive, the door may be easily moved about the rod 24between open and closed positions. When the door is moved to a partiallyopen position in which the first pin 42 engages the stop portion 39, thespring pressure of this pin within the stop portion will hold the doorin partially open position as shown in FIGURE 3. This position isparticularly use ful when the broiler (not shown) is being used as itprovides ventilation.

When it is desired to remove the door from the stove for cleaning orother purposes, the door is rotated to fully open position and the pins50 are positioned in the forward notches 49 so that they lock the dooragainst movement as previously described. It is then necessary only torock the hinge plates 30 in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 6to lower the first projection 33 from its engagement with the bracket18. The door and the hinge plates may then be pulled forwardly toWithdraw the entire assembly as shown in solid lines in FIGURE 6. Thebroken lines in this figure illustrate the positions of the door andhinge plates when in locked positions.

Having described our invention as related to the embodiment shown in theaccompanying drawings, it is our intention that the invention be notlimited by any of the details of description, unless otherwisespecified, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scopeas set out in the accompanying claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows.

We claim:

1. A hinge structure for mounting a door on a base member, comprising: apair of hinges on which the door is mounted for arcuate movement; amounting member on the base member for receiving each hinge, the doorthereupon being movable between open and closed positions, each hingehaving a stop portion thereon; cooperating holding means fixedly on eachhinge and mounting member engageable to hold the hinges in lockedpositions and disengageable on movement of the hinges relative to saidmounting means to permit removal of said hinges from said mounting meansand thus said door from said base member; means urging said door towardone of said open and closed positions and simultaneously urging saidholding means toward said locked positions; movable means on said doorengageable with each stop portion to hold said door in partially openposition; and means selectively operable to prevent relative movementbetween said hinges and the door to permit said movement of the hingesrelative to said mounting means.

2. A hinge structure for mounting a door on a base member, comprising: apair of hinges on which the door is mounted for arcuate movement; amounting member on the base member into which each hinge is insertable,the door thereupon being movable between open and closed positions, eachhinge having a path section adjacent said door including a stop portionand a catch portion; a movable member held, by said door normallyengaging said path; spring means urging said movable member against saidpath, the engagement of each of said movable members with a stop portionholding said door in partially open position, said movable member beingmovable away from said stop portions on said paths by force applied tosaid door; a first projection on each hinge engaging a mounting memberto prevent withdrawal of said hinge; a second projection fixedly on eachhinge engaging a mounting member to prevent arcuate movement of eachhinge relative to said mounting member, said first projection beingmovable from a mounting member and said second projection then beingmovable from said mounting member to release said door from said basemember; spring means urging said door toward closed position andsimultaneously urging said first projection into said engagement withsaid mounting member; and a catch member engaging each catch portion andsaid door to prevent relative movement between said hinges and door topermit said movement of said first projections from said mountingmember.

3. A hinge structure for mounting a door on a base member, comprising: apair of hinges on which the door is mounted for arcuate movement; amounting member on the base member for receiving each hinge, the doorthereupon being movable between open and closed positions; releasablecooperating holding means on each hinge and mounting member engageableto hold the hinges in locked positions while said door is arcuatelymovable on the hinges; means selectively precluding arcuate movement ofthe door on the hinges for moving the hinges relative to said mountingmembers during removal of said hinges from said mounting members andthus said door from said base member; and means for urging said doortoward one of said open and closed positions and for simultaneouslyurging said holding means toward said locked position.

4. A hinge structure for mounting a door on a base member, comprising: apair of hinges on which the door is mounted for arcuate movement; amounting member on the base member into which each hinge is insertable,each of said mounting members including a flared section for guidingsaid respective hinge into its mounting member, the door thereupon beingmovable between open and closed positions; means operable to preventarcuate movement of the door on the hinges; a first projection on eachhinge engaging a mounting member to prevent withdrawal of said hinges; asecond projection on each hinge engaging a mounting member to preventarcuate movement of each hinge relative to said mounting member, bothsaid projections being movable from said mounting members to releasesaid door from said base member; and spring means for urging said doortoward closed position and simultaneously urging said first projectioninto said engagement with said mounting member.

5. A hinge structure for mounting a door on a base member, comprising: apair of hinges on which the door is mounted for arcuate movement; amounting member on the base member into which each hinge is insertable,the door thereupon being movable between open and closed positions; afirst projection on each hinge engaging a mounting member to preventwithdrawal of said hinge; a second projection fixedly on each hingeengaging a mounting member to prevent arcuate movement of each hingerelative to said mounting member, both said projections being movablefrom said mounting members to release said door from said base member;spring means urging said door toward closed position and simultaneouslyurging said first projection into said engagement with said mountingmember; and means engageable with each of said hinges and with said doorto prevent relative movement of said hinges and door to permit saidmovements of said first projections from said mounting members bymanipulation of the door only.

6. A hinge structure for mounting a door on a base member, comprising: apair of hinges on which the door is mounted for arcuate movement; amounting member on the base member into which each hinge is insertable,the door thereupon being movable between open and closed positions, eachhinge having a path section adjacent said door including a stop portion;a movable member held by said door normally engaging said path section;spring means urging said movable member against said path section, theengagement of said movable members with said stop portions holding saiddoor in partially open position, said movable members being movable awayfrom said stop portions on said paths by force applied to said door; afirst projection on each hinge engaging a mounting member to preventwithdrawal of said hinge; a second projection on each hinge engaging amounting member to prevent arcuate movement of each hinge relative tosaid mounting member while said door is arcuately movable on saidhinges; locking means operable to prevent said arcuate movement of thedoor for moving said first projection away from said mounting member andsaid second projection from said mounting member on manipulation of saiddoor to release said hinge from said base member; and spring meanscontinuously urging said door toward closed position and simultaneouslyurging said first projection into said engagement with said mountingmember.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A HINGE STRUCTURE FOR MOUNTING A DOOR ON A BASE MEMBER, COMPRISING: APAIR OF HINGES ON WHICH THE DOOR IS MOUNTED FOR ARCUATE MOVEMENT; AMOUNTING MEMBER ON THE BASE MEMBER FOR RECEIVING EACH HINGE, THE DOORTHEREUPON BEING MOVABLE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS, EACH HINGEHAVING A STOP PORTION THEREON; COOPERATING HOLDING MEANS FIXEDLY ON EACHHINGE AND MOUNTING MEMBER ENGAGEABLE TO HOLD THE HINGES IN LOCKEDPOSITIONS AND DISENGAGEABLE ON MOVEMENT OF THE HINGES RELATIVE TO SAIDMOUNTING MEANS TO PERMIT REMOVAL OF SAID HINGES FROM SAID MOUNTING MEANSAND THUS SAID DOOR FROM SAID BASE MEMBER; MEANS URGING SAID DOOR TOWARDONE OF SAID OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY URGING SAIDHOLDING MEANS TOWARD SAID LOCKED POSITIONS; MOVABLE MEANS ON SAID DOORENGAGEABLE WITH EACH STOP PORTION TO HOLD SAID DOOR IN PARTIALLY OPENPOSITION; AND MEANS SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TO PREVENT RELATIVE MOVEMENTBETWEEN SAID HINGES AND THE DOOR TO PERMIT SAID MOVEMENT OF THE HINGESRELATIVE TO SAID MOUNTING MEANS.